Introduction to Astronomy and Cosmology

Ian Morison began his love of astronomy when, at the age of12, he made a telescope out of lenses given to him by his optician.He went on to study Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy at Oxfordand in 1970 was appointed to the staff of the University ofManchester where he now teaches astronomy, computing andelectronics.
He is a past president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, oneof the UK's largest astronomical societies. He remains on thesociety's council and holds the post of instrument advisor helpingmembers with their choice and use of Telescopes.
He lectures wi9dely on astronomy, has co-authored books foramateur astronomers and writes regularly for the two UK astronomymagazines. He also writes a monthly sky guide for the Jodrell BankObservatory's web site and produces an audio version as part of theJodrell Bank Podcast. He has contributed to many televisionprogrammes and is a regular astronomy commentator on local andnational radio. Another activity he greatly enjoys to take amateurastronomers on observing trips such as those to Lapland to see theAurora Borealis and on expeditions to Turkey and China to observetotal eclipses of the Sun.
In 2003 the Minor Planets Committee of the InternationalAstronomical Union named asteroid 15,727 in his honour, citing hiswork with MERLIN, the world's largest linked array of radiotelescopes, and that in searching for intelligent life beyond ourSolar System in Project Phoenix. In 2007 he was appointed to thepost of Gresham Professor of Astronomy. Dating from 1597, this isthe oldest astronomy professorship in the world and was once heldby Christopher Wren.